A study of students' perceptions of the online component of a hybrid postgraduate course

Carter, Margaret Anne (2013) A study of students' perceptions of the online component of a hybrid postgraduate course. Procedia: social and behavioral sciences, 84. pp. 558-586.

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DOI: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.06.604

View at Publisher Website: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2013....

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Abstract

This study reports the perceptions of 26 students enrolled in the JCU Singapore (James Cook University Singapore) hybrid Master of Guidance and Counselling (MGC) course, 2011. These students were surveyed as part of a larger study to identify the ir perceptions of the online and to face-to-face components of this blended course. This paper reports their perceptions of the online delivery of the course – satisfaction, benefits and barriers. Results will inform the structure of future hybrid MGC programmes. Descriptive statistics were used to profile student demographics. Open-ended questions focusing on the online design complemented the descriptive statistics and were analysed according to Creswell's data analysis spiral. Whilst 3.8% of studen ts were attracted to this course because of the online delivery, the majority of students did not factor online learning into their enrollment decision. Acknowledging this fact, students identified the flexibility, convenience and accessibility of the online environment as being beneficial for their learning, teaching and assessment. Social presence and teacher presence influenced student engagement and satisfaction with the online delivery. The social constructivist pedagogy, with students building their knowledge of the subject through negotiating and making meaning from the curriculum with instructors and peers, positively influenced students' perceptions of the course. A barrier to navigating and using the e-learning platform was the orientation students had with the online learning platform. Suggestions for improving the online mode included student orientation sessions in navigating the platform, and standardizing the layout of the platform across all the core subjects in the course.


Item ID:	29954
Item Type:	Article (Research - C1)
ISSN:	1877-0428
Keywords:	postgraduate education; students' perceptions; e-learning platform; online learning community; interactive learning environments; blended; computer learning environment; online platform; web-based instruction; e-learning; learner engagement; web-driven course; information and communication technology; teacher presence; social presence; higher education
Additional Information:	Articles from this Special Issue were from the 3rd World Conference on Psychology, Counseling and Guidance, WCPCG-2012 edited By Hüseyin Uzunboylu and Mukaddes Demirok. As an Open Access publication the Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences is published under Creative Commons license – CC-BY-NC-ND. CC-BY-NC-ND allows users to copy and distribute the article, provided this is not done for commercial purposes and the article is not changed or edited in any way. The author must be attributed and must not be represented as endorsing the use made of the work. This also does not allow users to text or data mine the article. For further details see our copyright information (http://www.elsevier.com/about/open-access/open-access-policies/oa-license-policy).
Funders:	James Cook University Singapore (JCUS)
Projects and Grants:	JCUS internal grant JCUS007/2011/MC
Date Deposited:	28 Oct 2013 05:33
FoR Codes:	13 EDUCATION > 1399 Other Education > 139999 Education not elsewhere classified @ 70% 13 EDUCATION > 1301 Education Systems > 130103 Higher Education @ 30%
SEO Codes:	93 EDUCATION AND TRAINING > 9301 Learner and Learning > 930102 Learner and Learning Processes @ 70% 93 EDUCATION AND TRAINING > 9302 Teaching and Instruction > 930203 Teaching and Instruction Technologies @ 30%
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